— UFC Daily is reporting that UFC middie Chris Leben has inked a new deal with the organization that kicks his dough up to $25k to appear and $25k to win. That’s an increase of $15k per category. No word on how long the deal is for. The next fight for Leben is a mere week away – March 1st at UFC 82 versus Alessio Sakara. The colorful-haired fighter has been in the UFC since April ’05 and is 7-3 in the organization. He’s 17-4 overall.

“I think he is a tough guy and very skilled but I wouldn’t consider him the top pound-for-pound fighter, just because I’ve seen more of his past than what the U.S. crowd has in the UFC. The guys he’s fought in the UFC really complement his style. I expected him to walk through most of those guys. He’s very skilled on his feet. The guys he’s fought aren’t very good wrestlers.”

This is a valid point and we know Henderson is one of the best. This is a war we’re jonsein’ for and it’s destined to be a classic. And who does Henderson think is the best pound-for-pounder?

“After this fight it will be me. But it’s hard to say. I would argue against it being Fedor (Emelianenko) because he’s a heavyweight. Heavyweights are tough to give that pound-for-pound ranking. He hasn’t fought a top heavyweight for a while. So I don’t know. It’s those guys that have beaten guys a little bit heavier than them and beaten everybody at their weight as well. I would argue that Matt Lindland should be in there as well. He’s gone up in weight and done well. There are a lot of guys. (Georges) St. Pierre is right up there and B.J. Penn.”

HDNet and HDNet Fights have been snatching up deals like the world will be ending in a few weeks. MMA Weekly is reporting that HDNet Fights has joined up with the XFL for “HDNet Fights Presents: Xtreme Fighting League”, which is also set for March 15th. It will be shown only on HDNet and will go down in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“I am excited about this partnership with HDNet Fights.” said XFL founder and promoter Dale Cook. “This card and the exposure on HDNet is tremendous for our League, our fighters and our city.”

HDNet Fights President Guy Mezger said Cook has been a long-time promoter of combat martial arts.

“Dale always has a strong regional show and we’re excited about partnering with him,” Mezger said. “He can continue to grow his shows and we’ll have high quality mixed martial arts programming for HDNet.”